An elderly Black man who was punched by a Detroit cop outside of a Midtown bar last week was knocked unconscious, and his lifeless body was left sprawled out along Woodward Avenue without receiving any medical attention before emergency personnel arrived about 20 minutes later, according to a witness who saw the entire encounter.
The man, who is in his 70s, was rushed to the hospital — where he remained as of Thursday morning, according to Michigan State Police F/LT Michael A. Shaw.
The officer, who has not been identified, was suspended Saturday as state police investigate. DPD’s Homicide Task Force is overseeing the investigation. According to the witness, the officer is also Black.
The witness, who spoke with Metro Times on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, painted a different picture of the encounter compared to the official police account.
Police were called to the Garden Bowl on a report of an intoxicated man causing a disturbance. By the time police arrived at 6:50 p.m, the man had already left the bar and was no longer causing any problems, the witness says. Although the man “moved slowly” because he was elderly, the officer was aggressive and “squared up” twice with the man, seemingly ready to fight him on the sidewalk outside the bar, according to the witness.
After the elderly man appeared to lunge at the officer, the cop pushed him, squared up again, and then punched him in the jaw, causing him to fall backwards from a curb onto a parking spot along Woodward, the witness says.
At no point during the encounter, which lasted between five and 10 minutes, did the officer try to de-escalate the tensions, according to the witness. Rather, the cop was confrontational and exacerbated the situation, the witness says.
After the man fell, the witness says the officer failed to check the man’s vitals or render first aid.
“That was the most shocking to me,” the witness says, adding that the officer placed the victim on his knee “for about five minutes and then got tired and left him down.”
“He did the bare minimum as the gentleman was on the ground,” the witness says. “He didn’t check his pulse or give him water. His body was lifeless. He laid on the ground with the officer standing over him for 20 minutes.”
Firefighters eventually arrived and immediately began chest compressions.
The witness took issue with the police department’s claim that the man was intoxicated, saying he was soft-spoken and wasn’t drinking heavily at the bar. According to the witness, the man was emotional because his fiancé was in hospice, and he thought someone had stolen his bag.
“He was just having a bad day, and unfortunately met the wrong officer,” the witness says. “It didn’t need to go this way. It’s heartbreaking to see how people who are paid to de-escalate can be so terrible at it.”
Neither the state police nor DPD would comment on the severity of the man’s injuries or say why the Homicide Task Force is helping investigate.
The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners meets at 3 p.m. Thursday for a public meeting. In an interview with Metro Times, Police Commissioner Willie E. Burton says he plans to ask for more details about the incident during the meeting. He says police are trained to de-escalate and render first aid.
“There are a lot of different ways this officer could have handled the situation, but he swung on him and struck him in the jaw,” Burton says. “Officers are trained on how to calm a person down. Did the officer rely on that training?”
Burton says he’s also looking into the officer's actions after the man became incapacitated.
“We expect our officers to serve and protect our residents in the city of Detroit, and when residents are injured, we expect our officers to render first aid,” Burton says. “If aid was not rendered, and the officer didn’t rely on his training, then as a commissioner, I will be making a recommendation at a later time whether this officer is fit for this department.”
DPD declined to comment on the witness’s account or any other details of the incident.
In a statement released over the weekend, DPD Chief James E. White said he immediately suspended the officer after viewing video of the encounter.
“My decision was influenced by concerns that, at the very least, the officer did not adequately de-escalate or disengage from the situation,” White said.
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